Whiletraining for a marathon, your feet take a major pounding.
With running, you leap and land with all your weight on one foot.
(This transformation is known as theWindlass mechanism.)
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Since your feet are the only contact point between your body and the ground (lets hope!
So show your feet some love by incorporating some of these seven practices into your routine.
After all, they are what will carry you across every finish linethey deserve some TLC.
You need your big toeto balance and to help propel you forwardwhen you run.
Weakness or repetitive straining of this muscle, can cause it to feel tight or painful.
Stretching it out can help ease discomfort.
Gently press your knee toward the wall until you feel a stretch below the base of your toe.
Hold for 30 seconds.
Heres another good one: Get on your hands and knees and curl your toes under you.
Then, gently sit down and back until you feel a stretch in your foot and toes.
Strengtheningis a necessary and critical part of marathon training.
The feet should be no exception.
But can you think of a single strength exercise where you specifically target your feet and toes?
Keeping the heel in contact with the floor, use your toes to draw the towel toward you.
Try 3 sets of 10 on each foot.
For best results, do this five days a week.
Whats better than ice or massage?
Combining the effects of both at the same time!
Try rolling your foot over a frozen water bottle.
This allows you to both stretch and ice the plantar fascia.
The ice will melt as you do this, so keep a towel nearby for easy cleanup.
When you run, your heart rate goes up, increasing blood flow to the muscles.
This will help decrease swelling and return blood to your heart.
Bonus: You get a great hamstring stretch out of it, too.
It just feels pretty amazing, too.
Imagine your hands are in mittens every day, and then you decide you want to go rock climbing.
This isnt too different from having your feet in cushy, supportive sneakers every day.
To challenge the feet to work muscles theyre not used to using, I love theseYamuna foot wakers.
But after a little while, youll get used to them and really appreciate them.
After a long run, I usually sneak in a few minutes on these balls before leaving for work.
What happens in your calves does not stay in your calves.
Focus on putting your weight, and therefore more pressure, into the calf muscles.
Slowly roll up and down the muscles.
For increased pressure, press one leg over the other as you roll.
Its important to listen to your own body and address the areas that are causing you pain or discomfort.
And sometimes, you may need to enlist outside help.
